Eat seasonal. It is cheap, delicious and it is harmony with the ryhythm of life. Winter root vegetables don’t have to be dull and bleak and tasteless. Steam them, roast them, pan fry them, cut in different shapes, add some separated laeves of brussels sprouts, a few broccoli fleurettes, add some chooped herbs, fry thin strips of leeks, turn them into a puree then scoop balls onto an oven pan and bake in the oven until brown….so many ways to bring colour…and nutrients to winter meals. See suggestions for more .

Suggestions:

  • Use other vegetables, but keep in mind the time each cooks and start off with the harde vegetables and add the softer veggies like mushrooms later, like 15 minutes before the end of baking time.
  • Vegetables can also be steamed and use the butter lemon sauce for all the vegetables.
  • Add other herbs of your choice…add towards the end.
  • The butter and lemon juice breaks the bitterness of the brussels sprouts.
  • A browned butter sauce can be used too.
  • Add some chopped walnuts when serving the vegetables or a mixture of chopped parsly and nuts.
  • Serve with any meat or fish dish or serve on its own with pasta.
  • Fry some thinly sliced leeks(in the length) until brown and crispy and place a small handful on the vegetables to finish off when serving.
  • Cut the vegetables in different sizes and shapes…matchsticks, cubes, rounds, curls…and remember to cook acoording to the thickness of the vegetables…ex. carrot curls cook much faster than carrot sticks.
..brussels sprout leaves and fried leek strips..

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…and Toulouse, la ville rose…

One can truly be considered fortunate when you have a daughter living in Paris and another living in Toulouse. Two equally amazing cities, each so unique and different…like the daughters themselves! And still in the theme of December memories, a visit to Toulouse, sleeping over in a quaint Toulouse apartement with the fairie lights of a first christmas tree and fresh foods from the market welcoming us…new memories and experiences enrich my life…those of being loved and spoiled by family.

..toulouse in all her splendor..

..Toulouse in December..

.. Sundays are market days…for all in France and those in Toulouse…as evidenced..

..buying clementines at the marché in toulouse..
..fresh vegetables..
..paella..
..oysters..
..le marché de dimanche..
..toujours des fleurs..
..empanadas..
..browsing the brocante..
..old pampilles(crystals) for lustres (chandeliers)..
..old books, paper, magazines, newpapers..
..a covered head and a bust..

..silver..

.. and having an outing in winter without pausing for a crêpe au nutella…unheard of!..

..eating crêpe au nutella at the borcante in toulouse..

..and going home…tired, happy and with old glass crystals in a bag..

..going home..

..à la prochaine fois..

..Ronelle..

21 thoughts on “Winter root vegetables with lemon butter..and Toulouse, la ville rose.”

  1. Love the colors in your veggies..the more color the better for you~

    Roasted are my very favorite..

    Love the Toulouse scenes.. each and every one..

    I’s so wonderful to have your 2 beautiful daughters living in 2 great places as you said..
    I see many visits in your future..

    I wonder..do they have snow now? We see Europe blanketed in snow on our news..
    like here…

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  2. Ronelle, that is one of my favorite recipes. I just made a combination of carrots, parsnips and leek last week. The brussel sprouts and turnips I usually make separately because I am the only one that likes these.

    Thank you for taking us on a tour of the French Market, looks delightful. I love the combination of food and collectibles.

    Eileen

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  3. That is an interesting veggie dish! Marvelous.

    Thanks for sharing your Toulouse pics with us.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. I always start out thinking I’m going to comment on the food, and somehow I manage to accomplish that. I love roasted root veggies, and this particular combo is one I just finished eating this past week.

    But then there’s the delightful story that follows. This time it’s a photo journey through the market in Toulouse….and I’m lost in those stalls and wishing I could pick up and leaf through and come home with….. Thanks for sharing this with us, Ronelle.

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  5. We love all the root vegetables. Our village market ended in late October…yours looks vibrant!

    Great photos. I love it when you take us to different places.

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  6. We loved roasted vegetables and had roasted green beans and broccoli for our dinner this evening. We have another thing in common – two daughters. Mine are 27 and 29 ans. Your daughter is beautiful.

    Toulouse looks beautiful and romantic! Warmer than here, I am sure as I don’t see any snow on the ground 😉

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  7. I love root veggies and this recipes rocks for me. I love to roast garlic,scallions and carrots. My latest brussel sprout recipe is one where I shred the sprouts and saute them with olive oil, shallots and bacon. YUM also! I love your photos too. Beautiful as always.

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  9. I went to Toulouse a few years ago and was enchanted. I wanted my husband to rent me a kitchen – so taken was I with the markets. While my husband was on a business trip and had to work, I spent my days at the markets and would come home with cheeses, fruits and breads for us to share before going to dinner. And going out to dinner was splendid and Toulouse won my heart. I came home with 50 photos of food!

    Love the root vegetables – they just sweeten as they cook and warm the spirit.

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  10. Love the stroll through your village – so enchanting and love the markets. I can see where your inspiration for drawings and paintings comes from.

    Have a beautiful week~~
    Dana

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  11. Thanks for the reminder not to neglect the root and winter vegetables. I forget how good they are… and how beautiful in your artistic hands.
    And thanks also for the photo tour of your markets. Everyday events are so much more interesting when a foreigner like me gets an opportunity to experience them.

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  12. Thank you for living up my next roast veggie dish with those cute brussel sprout outer leaves, Ronelle.

    I have been through your Toulouse album a few times. I love the market photos and story! bisous, M

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  13. Your blog always helps me see the “everyday” in a much more appreciative and beautiful light!
    The photos of the market are great. They called to mind some recent colorful memories. I was at the market in Aix a few weeks ago and loved it!

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  14. I love those colourful vegies even the little brussel sprouts & Toulouse is so very beautiful Your pics at the market just gorgeous.Thanks Ronelle for the stroll.
    xx
    Dianne

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  16. An innovative and colourful vegetable dish which would raise the game on anything you put with it. Enjoyed the trip to the market! Lovely post, as always! Sarah x

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  17. A lovely, hearty & tasty winter vegetables dish & I love Toulouse. It has been 10 years that I viqited this beautiful city & your lovely pictures braught me so many memories,….

    thanks for sharing, dear Ronelle!

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  18. Hi Ronelle! Wow, I love your recipe – seasonal cooking makes so much sense and just tastes better! That marketplace makes my heart sing! I love markets and the thought of dishing up a huge helping of that astoundingly-huge paella makes me drool! Those oysters are also incredible – far more attractive than the weekold ones we see in saltwater fountain “vending machines” in seafood restaurants in SA. I want to come to France!

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  20. Ooh, winter root veggies with lemon butter sounds so warming and delicious! That being said, your whole day in the market sounds that way:-)

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  21. Hi Ronelle:

    I found your website via Gatby’s Gardens and I love it! I used your Roasted Root Vegetable recipe for Christmas Eve. My son is a Chicago chef and he thought they were great. (and that is a real compliment for both of us, you and me!) He owns two restaurants and recently opened his second one just before Thanksgiving here in the states. He is a graduate of the CIA, Culinary Institute of America. He also studied in France.

    Thanks for sharing. We had 14 for dinner and the Roasted Root Veggies were a big hit. I added a couple of Leeks to the roasting pan as well.

    Happy New Year!

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